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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · cap · rock · nail · track · current · key · calf

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rock — music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. key — for a lock
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hand — in cards
  9. current — electric
  10. hand — help
  11. cap — a lid
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cap — of ice
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rock — a stone
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. key — in music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com